Generic Ephemeral VM¶

Category: Virtual Machine Type: Workload Template Tags: virtualization · virtual-machine · kubevirt Bundle: KubeVirt Bundle

Alpha: This plugin is currently in Alpha. Use at your own risk.

Overview¶

The Generic Ephemeral VM workload template provides a flexible, temporary Virtual Machine environment powered by KubeVirt. Designed for short-term use cases where persistent storage is not required, ephemeral VMs are ideal for testing, development, software evaluation, or any workload where data does not need to survive between sessions. VMs are configurable with hardware options including GPU passthrough, Secure Boot, EFI, TPM, and port exposure, and are provisioned on demand through Hubble.

How It Works¶

Workload Template — Installs the Generic Ephemeral VM workload schema into Genesis. Once installed, the VM type appears in Genesis on the Workloads page, where it can be authored into a workload template. Users can then launch and provision virtual machines on demand within a project through Hubble. VMs are ephemeral — discarded when stopped unless external storage is attached.

Prerequisites¶

KubeVirt plugin installed and configured in the cluster
At least one cluster node with kernel-level virtualization support (/dev/kvm accessible)
For GPU passthrough: compatible NVIDIA GPU and the NVIDIA GPU Operator plugin
For Windows 11: TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot must both be enabled in the workload configuration
A Kubernetes storage class available for VM disk storage

Installation¶

Install the KubeVirt plugin first
Open Terra and navigate to the Plugin Marketplace
Search for "Generic Ephemeral VM"
Click Install
Click Confirm to deploy (no install-time fields required)

Once installed, the Generic Ephemeral VM schema is available in Genesis. From the Workloads page, author the template — users can then launch and provision VMs on demand through Hubble.

Configuration¶

Install-Time Fields¶

No install-time configuration is required for this plugin.

Workload Launch Fields¶

These fields are configured when authoring the workload template in Genesis and used each time a user provisions a VM through Hubble:

Field	Details
`gpu`	boolean · Required · Default: `false` Enable GPU passthrough to the VM
`gpu_device_name`	string · Optional Specific GPU device name for passthrough (when multiple GPU types are available)
`secure_boot`	boolean · Required · Default: `false` Enable Secure Boot for the VM
`efi`	boolean · Required · Default: `false` Enable EFI firmware (required for Secure Boot)
`tpm`	boolean · Required · Default: `false` Enable TPM 2.0 (required for Windows 11)
`virtio_drivers`	boolean · Optional · Default: `false` Mount VirtIO drivers ISO to the VM (useful for Windows guest driver installation)
`prefered_disk_bus`	select · Required · Default: `virtio` Preferred disk bus type (`virtio`)
`storage_class`	k8sStorageClass · Required Storage class for the VM's boot disk
`ports`	list · Optional Ports to expose from the VM (name, type: `ClusterIP` or `NodePort`)

Notes¶

This plugin is included in the KubeVirt Bundle — you can install KubeVirt and the Generic Ephemeral VM workload template together in one step from Terra
VMs are ephemeral — data written inside the VM does not persist after the workload is stopped unless you attach external storage
Windows 11 requires tpm: true and efi: true (and secure_boot: true is recommended)
GPU passthrough gives the VM exclusive access to the GPU while it's running — other workloads will not be able to use that GPU simultaneously
This plugin is in Alpha — behaviour may change and stability is not guaranteed in production environments

plugins/vm-ephemeral/terra.yaml
resource_id: vm-ephemeral
name: Generic Ephemeral VM
icon: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/juno-fx/Terra-Official-Plugins/refs/heads/main/plugins/vm-ephemeral/scripts/assets/logo.png
description: |
  A generic ephemeral Virtual Machine (VM) compatible with KubeVirt, designed for temporary use 
  cases where persistent storage is not required. This VM can be quickly deployed and discarded, 
  making it ideal for testing, development, or short-term workloads. (This is currently in Alpha. Use at your own risk.)
category: VirtualMachine
tags:
  - virtualization
  - virtual-machine
  - kubevirt
  - cluster-level
fields: []